Preview: Sonic Colors - Preview

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While most of the attention for Sonic Colors has been directed at the Wii version, SEGA and developer Dimps have also been hard at work making sure the Nintendo DS version could live up to expectations. It’s a good job they did, because from my short time with the game it’s clear that even this ‘small’ version of Sonic Colors delivers big time.

Sonic Colors on the DS plays in a style similar to the classic 2D Sonic formula, most recently featured in Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 and the Rush series. You control Sonic via the D-pad and the face buttons, which serve as the jump and homing attack controls; pretty standard fare for a 2D Sonic game. It’s the introduction of Wisps - creatures that give Sonic various power-up abilities - that shakes the gameplay up. 

The demo version features the Nintendo DS-exclusive red Wisp, which turns Sonic into a fast moving fire ball that can speed through levels and defeat enemies with ease. These Wisps however can be used for much more than mowing through badnicks with ease. They can also help you reach new paths, take shortcuts through the level itself and turn Sonic’s already impressive resume of abilities into something that truly boggles the imagination (black hole Sonic, anyone?).

At certain points the game will switch from the traditional 2D side-scrolling perspective we are all familiar with and go into 3D gameplay sections where Sonic can collect rings and additional power-ups. These short sections act more like mini-games than part of the ‘main’ game, but they’re pleasant distractions nonetheless.

Sonic Colors is also a surprisingly well presented Nintendo DS game. The game runs ata constantly mooth framerate, even when the dual-screens are filled with flashy animations, tons of enemies and complicated 3D background designs. The characters are also designed in a 2.5D effect that fits perfectly into the game’s dual level design and helps give the game a modern look, all the while keeping it grounded in the series' classic roots.

In my short time with the DS version of Sonic Colors (the demo lasts one level) I quickly began to anticipate the portable edition just as much as the full console version. Offering a blend of the classic Sonic gameplay that I grew up with back in the early 90s and new-age abilities and powers, Sonic Colors is a game that fans of the blue blur, both young and old, should be looking forward to.

The demo for Sonic Colors is currently available for download from the DS Download Service on the Nintendo Channel.

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